Originally posted by AudioBridge
There seems to be two camps on this board now - those that are unhappy about how the new film will screw with established Star Trek, and those that tell those people to get over it.
You have a faulty premise: us vs. them
There are a few camps on this board.
- Those who hate the new movie
- Those who like the new movie
- Those who hate those who like the new movie
You have a faulty premise: us vs. them vs. us.
There are actually a group of individuals on this board. Some like the trailer wholeheartedly. Some are very excited about new Star Trek - and some of these love the trailer and others have misgivings about it. Some are excited about new Star Trek but are confused by or strongly dislike the new design elements. Some love the new designs but don't like one or more of the actors. Some just think it's cool that they get to see Uhura's bra. Some hate the idea of canon being overwritten. Some don't care about canon but find the trailer unsatisfying, and these generally express a variety of opinions as to why.
Trying to simplify this group of people into "camps", especially coupled with a "they're hating on us" complaint sounds remarkably self-indulgent - and I would say the same to those who are dissatisfied by what's coming out and have complained that their opinions are not "respected". While there a few naysayers who have claimed people who like the trailer or are excited by the prospect of the movie aren't "real fans" (and seriously, this is not much of an insult), there are an equal number of cheerleaders who seem determined to jump on a negative opinion and deningrate those who hold them. No one is an oppressed minority around here. We're all just a bunch of geeks spouting our opinions because it is fun to do so. Why people want to cast that as some sort of meaningful conflict is completely confusing to me.
I don't know whose sig it is, but someone around here has a wonderfully wise (and completely un-PC) reminder:
Arguing on the internet is like competing in the Special Olympics - even if you win you're still retarded.
So, have a laugh at yourself and everyone else here, 'cause in the end every single one of these discussions could not be more inconsequential. They are simply a pastime.
Shaw said:
You know, it is funny... there are some people who will watch Trek no matter if it is compelling or not. And because those people are the most notable subgroup of Star Trek fans, most people assume that we all must fall into this subgroup.
Frankly, I don't think I fall into that subgroup of fans at all. When I look back on my Star Trek viewing history, I can see very specific ranges of Trek I liked and Trek I could do without (or even actively disliked). I generally liked the first two seasons of TOS (and actively watch those episodes today), but tend not to watch most of the third season episodes. I actively watched TAS when it aired, but have only really enjoyed a couple of those episodes enough to actively seek them out to watch since. ST:TMP was an okay movie, but at the time we were starved for anything Trek related, and ST:TWK was a more enjoyable film that I still watch regularly even today. Though I didn't dislike ST:TSFS, I haven't felt to good reason to watch it in the last 20 years, and while I liked ST:TVH more, I haven't seen it in more than 20 years too. I actively watched all of the episodes of ST:TNG when they originally aired, but today won't take the time to watch any of the first two seasons. ST:TFF was insulting and I hated it when I saw it in theaters and saw it once again a year ago to make sure that it was as repulsive as I had recalled). ST:TUC was a pleasant surprise and I have watched it quite a few times. ST
S9 started out slow, but like ST:TNG I enjoy watching most of the later seasons over and over again. Most of the TNG based films (other than First Contact) seemed to be flash over substance, so I rarely saw them more than once in the theaters and put them into the same category as the first two seasons of the TNG series. ST:Voy was okay... but to date I haven't seen all the episodes as it wasn't especially compelling in some of it's earlier seasons. Same with ST:Ent, I haven't seen all the episodes and didn't find it compelling.
Wow, you're like my long-lost twin!
Not really, as I think there's a large contingent of folks who essentially value as "better Trek" the list you've put together here. (Except TUC - the high opinion of that which many people hold just baffles me, personally.)
My feeling on this upcoming film... TOS didn't need a reboot, it was stale modern Trek that needed to go. Fan films have shown that the original look and feel of the series was pretty much fine.
So what am I worried about... that this film is going to be more of the same but using the original characters instead. If we get flashy battle, flashy battle, flashy battle linked together by pointless and uninspired plot devices, then the film will fail. The redesign was a pointless waste of effort that I'm afraid wasn't put into a compelling story.
For me, most of the best Trek ever had the least amount of special effects. If the story wouldn't stand on it's own as a non-Trek and non-SciFi story, it has no business being the foundation of either a Trek episode or Trek film.
*applause*
Redesign, fictional history, actors - they are all window dressing. The only thing that matters is a compellng story about the human condition. And so far we know
nothing about whether or not that will be included in this film, and the trailer seems specifically engineered to communicate the opposite message -
cool, hot, 'splosions, sex - all fine, but all superfluous in the end. What makes me dubious about the project is that every interview and whatnot I've heard around - no one seems to ever mention anything about a compelling story about the human condition. I've heard
optimism, I've heard emotional lives of the characters - but truth be told, as much as I love the characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, if I'm looking for something that is only "emotional lives of the characters", I'll read some Annie Proulx short stories, or rewatch The Station Agent, because there are other genres that do "emotional lives of the characters" much better than SF does. There's something else that makes Star Trek, Star Trek, and I've heard not a whisper of it being included in this movie.
